


Changes

by Jain



Category: Firefly
Genre: Character of Color, Established Relationship, F/M, POV Third Person, Past Tense
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2010-03-31
Updated: 2010-03-31
Packaged: 2017-10-08 13:56:38
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 546
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/76327
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Jain/pseuds/Jain
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Mal and Zoe have an argument on her wedding day.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Changes

Oddly enough, it was the news that Zoe was changing her name upon marriage that really got Mal riled up. Which wasn't to say that he hadn't grumbled at various stages before then: when she and Wash had first started seeing each other (because shipboard romances were "a bad idea," never mind the strange dance Mal himself was doing with Inara); when they'd announced their engagement two weeks ago; when Zoe'd asked Mal to officiate. That last had been particularly annoying, since Mal had gone straight from grumbling that they didn't have time in their schedule to stop off somewhere and find a preacher, to grumbling that Serenity was no proper place for a wedding.

At least the majority of that grumbling had been directed at Serenity and/or the voices in Mal's head, easy to ignore and even easier to dismiss. Unlike Mal storming into the kitchen to pester Zoe with stupid last-minute objections while she was trying to turn a basketful of half-withered vegetables into a wedding feast.

"I don't got the time for this," Zoe said. "Either help me cook my wedding dinner, or get out of the kitchen and let me work in peace."

"Why can't your boyfriend help?" Mal asked, momentarily distracted from his previous line of argument by the opportunity to be snide about Wash for the fortieth time that month.

"He's a little busy sewing my wedding dress, sir, since _someone_ said that we couldn't waste the time going to Persephone so that I could buy one."

Mal's eyes widened. "He's sewing you a dress?"

"He's good with his hands," Zoe said in as bland a tone as she could manage, smiling inwardly when Mal made a face.

"None of which matters a damn. You still haven't explained why you'd do a dumbass thing like change your name to his."

"Maybe I haven't explained because it's none of your business," Zoe said, slicing mushrooms with a rapid thwack-thwack-thwack that was maybe a little more forceful than it needed to be.

"It's a stupid name," Mal said pettily.

Zoe rolled her eyes. "I'm not taking the 'Hoban' part, just the 'Washburne.'"

"It's...permanent," Mal said.

"So's he," Zoe said evenly.

Mal sighed. "Yeah, that's the problem." He shook his head. "The whole marriage thing aside, changing your name? It's worse'n a tattoo."

Zoe raised an eyebrow at him, and Mal, surprisingly, grinned at her.

"You don't need a lawyer to remove a tattoo," he explained.

Zoe snorted, and Mal's grin broadened. "I'm still doing it," she said.

"Yeah, well, it's lucky that I gave up expecting this crew to listen to me a long time ago," Mal said sourly.

"Yes, sir." Zoe slid a knife and several onions across to Mal. After a minute, he picked up the knife and started chopping.

He wasn't exactly doing the neatest job of it, but that was fine. Neither Zoe nor Wash had much family to speak of, unless you counted Mal and Kaylee and Inara and--God help them--Jayne. Having their wedding on Serenity, getting to share that with these people, no matter how frequently infuriating they might be, was worth a lot more than a few unevenly chopped onions. Especially when the fumes got to Mal and he started crying.


End file.
